Shoelace tightener



Sept. 30, 1952 c. CAIRNS SHOELACE TIGHTENER Filed April 20. 1950 INVENTOR. 7710/7103 C. Cal/77s BY Patented Sept. 30, 1952 UN[TED S TAT-ES .EI I T 1 I 2,611,940

1:: SHOELAGE TIGHTENER ."rhomes oxoaims, Niles, Ohio p v Appli'cationApirilzfl, 1950=,-seria1 1vo.151,09:

SClaims.

This invention relates generally 'tosshoesp: and more particularly to adeviceattachablertdshoes and more particularly toadevicerattachable to a shoe to enable the shoelace .thereottorbetightened without tying'the same.

The principalbbj'ect orthexinventicm is :the provision of a shoelace 'tightenerothatvmayzbe applied to L a shoe to manipulate the shoelace thereof.

A further object. oflthe inventlonsisitheprovision of a shoelacetightenerfthat' maybe applied to childrens shoes and theilaces: thereof tied and engaged in the device-so 'thatrtheysmay be tightened and loosened .thereby.

A still f urtheriobje'ct' of" the invention is the provision of a shoelace tightener'of simple and economic'design capable of inexpensive manufacture.

A still further-objectof theinventioniis the provision of a shoelacetightener that may-be readily applied-toconventional laced shoes and usable therewith for the indicated purpose.

The shoelace tightener shown and described herein has been designed-to facilitate the fastening of children's shoes, it being well' known that children are incapable of tying-shoelaces in a satisfactory manner for several years. By using the device disclosed herein, one of which is applied to each of the childs' shoes, theshoelace maybe pre-tied loosely in theshoe arranged inpositionv in the device so thatthe child. need only rotate the exposed portionof the device to either tighten or loosen the' shoelace, as; desired.

Means is formed inthe device for holding the same in any desired position'andthe device thus operatessatisfactorily to holdithe childs shoes in laced or unlaced position.

With the foregoing and other objects in view which will appear as the description proceeds, the invention resides in the combination and arrangement of parts and in the details of construction hereinafter described and claimed, it being understood that changes in the precise embodiment of the invention herein disclosed can be made within the scope of what is claimed without departing from the spirit of the invention.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a shoe showing the shoelace tightener installed thereon.

Figure 2 is an enlarged transverse section through a portion of a shoe showing the shoelace tightener in position therein.

Figure 3 is a top plan view taken on line 33 of Figure 2.

.-:-Figure 4 is; a-vertical sect-iorrlons line L-J of" Figure2.

s Figure 5 is a'horizontalcsection-onlme: 5-,5 ofFigure4.

By referring to the drawings and'Ei ureB-dn particular it will beseen that achilds shoe :has been. illustrated and includesaa. heel" lo -sole; I l, toev portion l 2 and oppositely disposed upper: portions. and [4. The upper: portions 13. and! are positioned in; oppositely; disposed zspaced relation partially .overlappingithe tongue: I 510fc'th shoe. The oppositely disposed edgesrofrtham pers. 13 and M; are: provided.=with a: plurality; of eyelets l6 and 11,. respectively. .Thezeyeletsi-lfi and 11' receivexa shoelace :l;8;-threadedi therethrough. and back and forth through :the eyelets H5 in the upper I 3.and the'eyelets I1: inzthe upper 14. The shoelace l8 :is :1 preferablyjqpositioned through the. eyelets so that the oppositely: disposed pair of. eyelets positioned-next:to;,;the;top pair are not .engaged'bylthe; shoelace 118,..it :being understood that the. shoelace. i8 is EIOOSGIY. positioned and tied so that the child may put onand take off the shoe with thev lace in loose position.

The shoelace tightener is aflixed to thetshoe byilocating a transverse flexible band .I S between the tongue l5 and the uppers 13. and [4, .as' best shown. in Figures. 2 and. 3:. of the drawings, the transverseflexible band l9 being-formed of thin, deformed metal .or: plastic'rmaterial,:.as desired, and capable of readilyadaptingitself. to. the arcuate contouroftheuppers :l3.:and..-l4 ofsthe shoe. Longitudinall extending slots 20+20- are. positioned in the and I9 andinzspaced.relationwith respect .to one another: andtfastenersz such as :rivets 2l.-2.l are. positioned-loosely-in' the slots 20-20. and engaged lathe-pair;ofeoppositely disposed eyelets .l 6 and l1. next to the uppermost pair: 'oftsaid eyelets, asz'best'shown'in'Figurel of the drawings. In such position the fasteners such as rivets are secured so that the band I9 is loosely aflixed to the uppers l3 and I4 and so that the same may be moved toward or away from one another in the usual manner with the fasteners or rivets 2| sliding in the slots 20.

The band l9 has an opening '22 midway between the slots 2020 and which opening 22 serves to mount a rotatable knob 23 thereon as by means of a fastener 24. The rotatable knob 23 has a deep transverse slot 25 therein and a central circular area 26 provides clearance for the head of the fastener 24 which serves as a means securing the knob 23 to the band I9 while permitting it to rotate. The knob 23 has an opening '21 therein in which a spring 28 is caged so as to urge a ball 29 outwardly and againstv a radially spaced pattern of depressions 30 formed in the band [9. Thus, the knob 23 will remain in predetermined position by reason of the engagement of the ball 29 with one of the depressions 3B. The laces l8 are engaged in the deep transverse slot 25 of the knob 23, as best shown in Figures 1 and 3 of the drawings, so that rotation of the knob 23 will wind the laces l8 about the narrow portion of the knob 23 and thereby tighten the same with respect to the uppers l3 and M and thus pull the same together. When they have thus been suitably moved toward one another to hold the shoe on the childs foot, the ball 29 registering in one of the depressions 30, will hold the knob 23 and the laces I8 in tightened position. The child can then manipulate the laces by merely turning the knob '23 from one side to the other.

It will occur to those skilled in the art that the laces [8 may be positioned through the eye- I lets I6 and I! in several difierent arrangements so that sections of the laces may be engaged in the knob 23 and the laces tightened by rotating the knob.

It will thus be seen that a simple and efficient device has been disclosed which may be attached to achilds shoe including the usual eyelets and laces and used to tighten or loosen the laces so as to affix the shoe to the child's foot or permit it to beremoved therefrom. The device is capable of economic manufacture and may be easily installed on the shoe by positioning the transverse band It over the tongue and under the uppers of the shoe and the fasteners engaged in the slots in the band and in oppositely disposed pairs of eyelets in the shoe. It will be seen that by removing the fasteners 21 the device may be removed from the shoe and installed in another shoe if desired.

It will thus be seen that the device disclosed herein meets the several objects of the invention.

Having thus described myinvention, what I claim is: i 1

1. A shoelace tightener fora shoe having a tongue, oppositely disposed uppers overlying the tongue and eyelets positioned in the edges of said uppers and comprising an arcuate body member adapted to be disposed transversely beneath the said uppers and over said tongue, longitudinally extending slots in the said body memher and fasteners positioned in oppositely disposed relation in the said eyelets in the uppers and slidably engaged in the said slots in the said body member whereby the body member is loosely secured to the said uppers, a knob pivotally amxed to said body member midway between the ends thereof and located between the 4 edges of the said uppers, and a deep transverse slot formed in said knob.

.2. A shoelace tightener for a shoe having a tongue and oppositely disposed uppers overlying the tongue and eyelets positioned in the edges of the said uppers, said tightener comprising an arcuate body member adapted to be disposed transversely beneath said uppers andv over said tongue, spaced longitudinally extending slots in the said body member and fasteners positioned in oppositely disposed relation in the said eyelets in the uppers and slidably engaged in the said slots in the said body member whereby the body member is loosely secured to the said uppers, a knob pivotally afllxed to said body member midway between the ends of the slots therein and positioned between the edges of the said uppers, a deep transverse slot formed in said knob, and friction means in said knob engaging said body member for holding the said knob in predetermined position.

3. A shoelace tightener 'for a shoe having a tongue and oppositely disposed uppers overlying the tongue and eyelets positioned in the edges of the said uppers, said tightener comprising an elongated. arcuate body member adapted to be disposed transversely beneath the said uppers and over said tongue, spaced longitudinally extending slots in the said body member and fastencrs, positioned in oppositely disposed relation in the said eyelets in the uppers and slidably engaged in the said slots in the said body member whereby the body member is loosely secured to the said uppers, a knob comprising a stem and an enlarged head portion rotatably afiixed to the said body member midway between the ends thereof and positioned between the edges of the said uppers, and a deep transverse slot formed in the head and stem of the said knob.

THOMAS C. CAIRNS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Austria July 25, 1904 

